Police speak out on Tiktoker Jovia stabbed in Bukoto house; hunt for roommate

• Jovia Namuwulya, 22, was found dead in her rented room in Bukoto on August 20, 2026.

• Her relatives raised the alarm after she stopped answering their calls.

• Police are searching for her roommate, Rose Turindamukama, in connection with the case.

• Police have not confirmed competing accounts circulating online about who killed Namuwulya or the motive.

Police are searching for a woman whose 22-year-old roommate was found dead in a pool of blood inside their rented room in Bukoto, Kampala

Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Racheal Kawala on Monday identified the deceased as Jovia Namuwulya, who was working as a waitress and resident of Mukalazi Zone, Bukoto I Parish in Nakawa Division.

Namuwulya, who was also known on TikTok as Jovia1235, was found dead on August 20, 2026, after relatives became concerned when they failed to reach her by telephone.

Police said Namuwulya had rented the room about seven months earlier.

About three months later, a woman identified as Rose Turindamukama visited her and later started living with her in the same room.

On August 20, Koala says, Namuwulya's relatives contacted the caretaker after she stopped responding to their calls.

The caretaker and Namuwulya's sister went to the room but found it locked.

“Looking through the window they observed blood stains inside the room. They subsequently accessed the room and found Jovia lying in a pool of blood,” Kawala said.

Police took Namuwulya's body to the City Mortuary for a postmortem examination.

Tukundamukama could not be found after the discovery and police are now searching for her in connection with the death.

“However, her friend Turindamukama Rose couldn't be found and is currently being sought in connection with the incident,” Kawala said.

The case has attracted widespread attention on social media, where several accounts have circulated claims about what happened before Namuwulya's death.

Among them are claims attributed to Turindamukama alleging that a man identified only as Muhammad was responsible for the killing.

According to the version circulating online, the two women met the man through the dating application Tinder. Turindamukama allegedly claimed Namuwulya later stole money from him and that he traced them to their rented home.

She allegedly claimed the man killed Namuwulya during a confrontation and that she fled because she was frightened.

Other social media users have questioned reports that Turindamukama left Uganda shortly after the incident and allegations that messages were later sent using Namuwulya's identity.

Police have not confirmed these accounts, the existence or involvement of the man identified as Muhammad, or reports that Turundamukama left the country.

Kawala said investigators are pursuing further inquiries and trying to trace Turindamukama.

“Anyone with information that may lead to the identification and arrest of the suspect is urged to report to the nearest police station,” she said.